Death's Door
by haleyb333
Summary: Don't be scared off by this title! I promise things will look up after a bit (just trust me on this one)! This is an alternate ending to City of Heavenly Fire and a retelling of some of the following events with a few new things added in. Asmodeus is prepared to hold the gang in Edom for eternity until someone makes the correct sacrifice. Can Alec deal with the aftermath?
1. Chapter 1

Magnus was pretty sure he could actually feel his heart breaking. The worst part, however, was the fact that he wasn't in pain because of himself. Looking down at Alec's face, hearing the desperation in his voice, that was what hurt the most. He was hardly scared of death; he had become accustomed to the thought of death for almost a century now. Being immortal sort of took that anxiety away.

Yet here he was, staring death in the face, looking down at Alec's clear blue eyes that were full of so much pain he could hardly stand it, and suddenly, the thought of death began haunting him once more. Not for himself, but for Alexander.

"Hurry up, please, Magnus," he heard his father say, causing a chill to run down his spine. "You're boring me, and the longer you bore me, the more time you give me to come up with other things I want." Magnus didn't have to turn around to see that Asmodeus was smiling. "Like, maybe, your little boyfriend here, for instance," he finished, the mischief clear in his voice.

Magnus whirled on his father then, keeping hold of one of Alec's hands as he did so. "You will not touch him. In any way." He felt Alec's hand stiffen in his, a sign that Alec was trying to hold onto him for as long as possible. "We have a deal already, you take me, just me. And you let them go. End of story. Take it or leave it, but you won't get what you want if you don't take it." Magnus felt as though he could hold himself together until the end, as long as he was the only one being hurt.

Asmodeus rolled his eyes at that, but he remained silent, knowing that Magnus was right. Magnus took this as a sign that he could continue saying goodbye to Alec, but when he turned back, it suddenly felt as though he would never be able to properly say goodbye, no matter how long he was given to do so.

Reaching up, Magnus brushed his thumb across Alec's cheek, watching the emotion behind Alec's eyes. He bent down to gently give Alec a kiss before turning away and all but wrenching his hand out of Alec's. For a moment, he wanted nothing more than to let his father kill him right then, but he had to get things done, he had to say goodbye to everyone before he could do that.

"Lightwoods," he began, trying to keep his voice even. "And Clary and Simon," he added, looking away from Simon as a look of surprise at the thought that Magnus actually knew his name. "Although I might have joked far too much about how much I have disliked helping you over these past few months. But since I won't be going back with you," Magnus paused trying to steady himself. "I figure it's time to tell you the truth, but I hope you all know it already."

Magnus didn't turn back around when he felt Alec's hand on his arm, just above his elbow. He knew that looking back at Alec very nearly might cause him to lose all of his resolve. "The truth," he continued, forcing himself onward, knowing it would all be over in a few short minutes. "Is that each of you standing here has somehow, impossibly, become part of the family I never had. You've somehow helped me forge a family out of the most unlikely of people, and I can never thank you enough for that."

Holding up a hand, Magnus cut Isabelle off before she had even begun speaking. "No, I am not done." With that, he finally turned back to Alec, shutting out the world around them, focusing on nothing other than Alec and his embrace. He had leaned into Magnus as soon as they were facing each other once more, almost desperately clinging to Magnus.

"Alexander," he said softly, his voice catching in his throat. Magnus closed his eyes for a few short moments, trying to simply tell Alec how he felt because he needed to, not because of what was coming. "My sweet Alexander. You took me by surprise and I fell in love with you; it's as simple as that. I love you. But somehow, it's more than that." He paused then, suddenly barely able to breathe.

Looking down into Alec's eyes in that moment was the single most painful thing Magnus had ever done in his entire life. "You, Alexander Lightwood, you are the love of my life. I never thought I would be able to say that to anyone. But you have completely taken my heart, and I do not want it back. I can easily say without any hesitation that you are the single person I have ever loved most in this world." Without thinking about what he was doing, Magnus reached down and plucked his ring, the one he always wore, off of his finger, gently placing it in Alec's hand and wrapping Alec's fingers around it.

It nearly broke all of Magnus's resolve when Alec slowly looked down at his hand then looked back up at Magnus, shaking his head with tears in his eyes. "I need you to keep that, Alexander. It's yours," Magnus tried his hardest to keep the emotion out of his voice. "I want you to do a couple of things for me, if you can, that is."

All Alec could do was raise an eyebrow in question, and Magnus knew it was all he could do to keep from letting everything go. It was exactly how Magnus was feeling as well. "Find love again. If you can. You deserve that much. You're so kind, so loving; just make sure he treats you right, or I may roll over in my grave." What Magnus had intended to lighten the mood seemed to do the exact opposite. "But if you cannot find love, promise me, swear to me, that you'll have a family regardless. The very day I was taken here, we were talking about starting a family, and I need you to do that, no matter what."

It was then that Alec finally spoke up, his voice much stronger than Magnus had imagined it would be. "No." His tone was final, but Magnus knew that it was likely for show. "I do not want to have a family without you in it." The way he said it, the sorrow behind his voice, the hurt and pain and love, it was almost too much for Magnus to bear.

"Alexander," he began softly, trying to keep from sounding harsh. "You told me that you have always wanted to be a father. I do not want you to give that up because of me. If you want a family with me in it, if you cannot find love elsewhere, then make me the father of your children as well. Let them know that there was someone else who would have loved them more than life itself, that is fine with me. But, Alexander, please do not allow yourself to live your life without a family just because you lost me."

For a moment, Magnus thought Alec was going to be angry, he thought Alec was going throw a fit, but when Alec spoke, his voice was barely above a whisper, quiet with desperation. "I don't want to live a life without you in it, Magnus." The way Alec said his name made Magnus pause for a moment. No one had ever said his name as though they loved him more than anything, no one had ever seemed to feel this way about him before. And that very thought was enough to drive him mad.

Deep down, however, Magnus knew that there was no way he was getting out of Edom alive. He knew his father too well, he knew there was no loophole for him to jump through. In one final act of desperation, Magnus kissed Alec for what he knew would be the last time. Alec seemed to know this, too, because he immediately wrapped his arms around Magnus, holding on with everything that he had.

They had shared a lot of kisses, but Magnus knew that this one was the one that topped them all. The passion and love behind it was enough to make Magnus's knees buckle in a way he had never felt before. Alec held onto him so tightly, melted into him with such a mixture of passion and grief that it was hard for Magnus to remain standing.

When they eventually separated, Magnus wasn't entirely startled to find that tears were now streaming down both of their faces. He leaned over to gently kiss Alec's away, only succeeding in causing them to flow faster. "My darling Alexander, I love you," Magnus said softly before turning to face his father once more.

He didn't say another word, he simply nodded his head, wanting his words to Alec to be his last. Magnus closed his eyes, the image of Alec's face imprinted in his mind. A warm sort of numbness settled over him then, the thought of Alec somehow comforting him in his last few seconds. He smiled softly for a moment, thinking of the melodic sound of Alec's laughter, of the sparkle in his eyes when he made Magnus himself laugh, of the way in which his gentle touch had made Magnus melt like nothing else could.

Then it was all gone.

* * *

 **This was originally going to be a one-shot, but while writing this part, I had several more ideas that I figured I should simply write after this one instead of placing them by themselves as well!**

 **So please, don't be scared off by this chapter, I promise you things will look up and the unexpected will happen!**

 **Let me know what you thought!**


	2. Chapter 2

One minute, Alec was standing in Edom, watching Magnus's back and wishing he could be the one to sacrifice himself. The next, he found himself back in the Accords Hall, a hole slowly starting to form in his chest. There was no way this was happening, there was no way Magnus was being taken from him.

Alec turned in a full circle, only halfway registering the looks of concern and pity he saw on Isabelle and Jace's faces as he did so. He kept expecting to find Magnus, standing as strong as he always had, smiling with the knowledge that it had all been a test, that there had never been any real danger.

What he was met with, however, was the complete opposite. What he saw forced him on his knees from the pain it put him in. Alec was almost done with his circle, he was almost flooded with relief, until he noticed Magnus's body on the floor just a few feet from him. _Magnus's body._ The mere thought of it brought the tears back in earnest.

Staggering slightly, Alec found himself moving to sink to his knees beside of Magnus, immediately reaching for him and moving to hold him. He was vaguely aware of the fact that his parents were already there, he was extremely aware of the fact that everyone in the room was silent, even the people who knew next to nothing about them.

As Jace moved toward them, Alec found himself flinching away from his parabatai's touch, something he had never done before. He saw the hurt on Jace's face, but he couldn't find it in himself to try to mend it. He couldn't help but think that the hurt Jace was feeling was only a fraction of the misery that was currently in his heart.

To Alec's surprise, Jace did not move away, he simply laid a hand as gently as possible on Alec's shoulder. "I'm here, Alec. I know that doesn't help, but I'm not going anywhere." Jace's voice was so gentle that it made Alec even angrier. He didn't want pity, he didn't want sympathy; he wanted Magnus back.

He thought about shaking Jace's hand off of his shoulder, of just shutting down completely, of not letting anyone in. But then he saw his parents moving toward them and knew that he needed Jace by his side. Alec knew he was being ever so slightly irrational, that his parents had really begun trying in the end, but the closer they got, the angrier he became.

"Don't come any closer to us," he said through his teeth. Alec knew his voice must have been full of either anger or pain because his parents stopped in unison, identical expressions of surprise dawning their faces. Alec chuckled at this, only growing angrier. "You hated him. You were disgusted by the mere thought of me being with Magnus. Do not come near him. You never showed him any kindness, not once, so stay away." Alec clinched his fist as he felt Jace's hand tighten on his shoulder.

That was when Alec remembered the ring that was still in his hand. He looked down, over Magnus's shoulder, to stare at the ring he had been given, tears stinging at his eyes once more. He dimly heard Jace's voice behind him, but he didn't really register it. Alec was too busy reliving the last moments of Magnus's life, too busy thinking about all the things he could have done differently. He hadn't protected Max, and now it seemed as though he couldn't protect anyone he loved, seeing as Magnus was now gone, too.

Alec felt Jace gently take Magnus from him, placing Magnus back on the ground. Then Jace was in front of him, helping him up and leading him out of the Accords Hall. Jace didn't say a single word until they were safely alone in the Lightwood house. As he sat Alec down on the couch, all Alec heard him say was, "I'm so sorry," before he finally allowed himself to fall into Jace's arms, breaking down completely.

* * *

Magnus blinked several times, trying to figure out exactly what was going on. When he had completely assessed himself, realizing that he was, indeed, physically fine, he cautiously sat up. Scanning the room, he realized he was still in Edom, in one of the houses left in ruins by the Shadowhunter-type people who had once lived there. Magnus was utterly confused as to why his father would keep him in Edom in this way, as to why he was still technically alive.

He got up and began exploring the house, trying to figure out what was going on. It seemed to be fully stocked, which was strange considering it had been centuries since any human-like-beings had lived there. It seemed like his father was doing something on purpose, which scared him more than death itself.

As Magnus was nearing the point of taking a break, he heard a chilling voice behind him. "Would you like to see your darling Alexander?" Magnus whirled to face his father, anger immediately flooding every fiber of his being. "He's dealing with this quite well, I would say." Asmodeus's smile was eerie, and Magnus wanted to smack it off of him.

Before he could say anything, Asmodeus waved his hand, a mirror immediately appearing on the wall opposite the bed that Magnus had woken up in. Magnus had prepared to argue with his father, he had prepared to interrogate him, he had prepared to do a number of things out of anger, but all of that ceased as soon as he saw Alec.

"I gave him a body to bury," Asmodeus said smugly, explaining the sight that Magnus was seeing in the mirror. Alec was kneeling in front of what looked to be Magnus's headstone, Jace and Isabelle were standing a few feet away, obviously not knowing what to do. "Isn't that wonderful?"

Magnus wanted to scream, but he could hardly even turn around to face his father at all. All Magnus could register at the moment was the expression on Alec's face, the desperation and grief widely apparent on his face. The walls and guards Alec usually had in place were in pieces. It was all Magnus could do to keep from launching himself at his father in anger. He refrained, however, knowing that it would do nothing helpful, especially considering the fact that he couldn't use his magic here.

"You're tricking him," Magnus said. It wasn't a question; his mind was already working overtime, quickly figuring out exactly what his father had done. "I'm not actually dead, you're just going to keep me here with you for eternity. That's why this house is stocked." Magnus peeled his eyes away from Alec just in time to see a sickening grin appear on Asmodeus's face. That was all the response Magnus needed in order to know that his assumptions were correct.

True to form, Asmodeus completely ignored what Magnus had just said, his eyes remaining on the mirror before them. "I'm honestly surprised he's handing things this well; I figured he'd be much more pathetic than he actually is." At that, something inside of Magnus snapped. He simply couldn't stand there and watch, he couldn't stand there and listen to his father any longer.

"Why the hell are you doing this?" he asked, all of his anger pouring into his words. Magnus tried, and failed, to keep his eyes off of the mirror. He was fairly certain that he had never seen Alec like this, his posture so slumped that it seemed like his entire body was full of grief. Magnus clenched his fists, forcing his emotions to stay down, knowing what sort of satisfaction his father would take in seeing him break.

Magnus flinched slightly when Asmodeus chuckled before he responded. "Come on, son; I'm a demon." Asmodeus's smile was so nauseating that Magnus had to look back at Alec to keep his disgust at bay. "I don't really need a reason to do this, do I?" When Magnus didn't respond, Asmodeus continued, knowing Magnus far better than Magnus would have liked to admit. "You and I both know I've been wanting to get you down here for centuries. You're the most powerful child I have ever had, and let's just say that your powers are looking very good on me at the moment."

Sitting down on the bed, Magnus put his head in his hands, trying to keep from thinking of what his father could do with his powers. He had been so, so careful for centuries, knowing that his father could easily use his powers for the worst things imaginable as soon as he set foot in Edom. And now, here he was, absolutely powerless, trapped as far away from Alec as he could possibly be.

"Listen very carefully, son." Magnus didn't look up as Asmodeus began speaking once more. "You are here with me for eternity; there is no getting out of that. You have free reign as long as you stay inside this ruined village. Step outside of it, and you will no longer be under my protection." Magnus was entirely too relieved as his father turned to leave.

Just as Asmodeus crossed through the door, he turned around in one fluid movement, throwing up one finger as he did so, a gesture that painfully reminded Magnus of the way he himself moved. "Oh, and one more thing," he said, his grin slowly widening. "This house is your house; this room is your bedroom. Don't even think about changing that. After all, the mirror wouldn't be painful if you were able to walk away from it, would it?"

With that, Asmodeus strode out of the door. Magnus only relaxed as he saw Asmodeus out of the window, walking away to what seemed to be the middle of nowhere. After a few moments, Magnus looked away, his eyes naturally going back to the mirror, back to Alec. He had the terrible feeling that he would be spending much of his time watching Alec.

Magnus sat in silence for minutes, simply watching Alec as he sat beside the grave. For a moment, Magnus fleetingly thought of trying to break the mirror. The longer he looked at it, the angrier he became. He was angry because he couldn't do anything, he couldn't wrap his arms around Alec, he couldn't even speak to Alec, couldn't let him know that he was okay. But Magnus knew that his father was smarter than the average bear; Asmodeus would have made the mirror unbreakable.

Just as Magnus was about to get up and explore the rest of the village he was apparently in, he heard Alec's strained voice coming from the mirror, a sound that almost immediately broke his heart into even tinier pieces than those it was already in. "It's my fault," Alec said, his voice cracking out of pain. "I'm so sorry, Magnus; I should have protected you." It seemed like Alec was done, but he began speaking after several more seconds of heartbroken silence. "I love you," he finished, getting up and moving away from the grave as quickly as he could. Jace and Isabelle followed him without a word, knowing he didn't want to be bothered.

As Magnus watched, Alec lead the way to the apartment. He stopped at the front door, obviously not knowing how to get in since Magnus had taken away his key when they had broken up. Jace walked up behind him, placing a hand on his shoulder and reaching past him to draw a rune on the door. As soon as the door sprung open, Alec shoved his way into the apartment.

It was that moment that Magnus finally allowed himself to completely break down. Watching Chairman Meow all but spring into Alec's arms, watching as Alec's tears left the Chairman's fur wet and matter, Magnus couldn't contain his own grief any longer. "He's not coming back," Alec said, obviously directing this to the cat in his arms. "He's gone, and he's not coming back."

When Alec said this, it felt as though a switch had been flipped inside of Magnus. He immediately became hard, angry once more. _I will be coming back to you, Alexander,_ he thought, shoving all other possibilities to the side. _I don't know when or how, but I will be coming back, you and the Chairman just wait and see._


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: Some of you may greatly dislike where you *think* this is going. I say think, because I don't even know where I think it is going yet. Feel free to comment, but please take notice that complaining only serves to take away my motivation.**

 **I encourage you to stick with this story, no matter where you suspect it may go because I have some really exciting things planned for it that you'll miss out on if you think it's going a certain way.**

 **I always welcome comments and feedback, but any flat-out complaining/whining will be ignored (as it was the last time I wrote a story everyone complained about)**

* * *

Alec was entirely annoyed at having to go to the newly opened Academy. Catarina had called him, insisting that he come but refusing to explain to him why she wanted him there. He had briefly spoken with her a little over a year ago, right after Magnus's death. After that, they had written short letters every so often. Alec had only done this because she had asked him to keep her informed, saying that she wanted to stay in touch and make sure he was okay.

The only thing that Alec could think as he entered the Academy was that the only reason Catarina would call would be an emergency. But he couldn't come up with any reason for there to be an emergency, so he took a deep breath and then immediately stopped walking, slightly taken aback by the scene he met as soon as he entered the door.

Catarina was standing just inside the doorway, which would have been fine, if there hadn't been far too many other people around her. Alec's eyes scanned the small crowed of people for anything abnormal. His eyes landed on the boy standing directly next to Catarina, his brown eyes wide with curiosity and a mix of other things Alec couldn't quite read. What caused Alec's gaze to linger, however, was not so much the boy himself as it was what the boy was holding, if his technique could quite be considered that.

At first, Alec casually thought that he was simply holding a baby, but that didn't really explain to him why Catarina would have called him. Then he noticed that the baby's skin was a deep, rich navy blue. A warlock. Alec's mind worked fairly quickly to connect the dots before Catarina had even said a word.

"Alec," she began gently, obviously seeing that he had made the connection already and trying to begin damage control. "This baby was left here, and George found him on the steps." Alec's gaze momentarily went back to the boy who must have been George. Alec shoved his thoughts back as he began to realize exactly why his eyes had landed on George in the first place. He guilty chocked back thoughts of George's staggering good looks and forced himself to remain focused on the situation at hand.

"The Dean here," Catarina continued, her voice so full of contempt that Alec had to keep a smile off of his face. "Wants to give the baby over to the Clave." At that, Alec's mind immediately switched from his original thought of fighting Catarina on the matter she was about to present. There was no way an innocent warlock child was going to fall into the hands of the Clave, not if he had any say in the matter. "She said that unless I found a solution to the 'problem' she would take matters into her own hands."

The way Catarina said the word 'problem' hurt Alec's heart. It was easy to see Catarina's frustration and pain, and that only worked to make Alec angry. Before anyone could say anything at all, Alec stepped toward George, "No one is taking any warlock child anywhere," he said, holding out his hands. For one terrifying moment, George stumbled a bit as he tried to hand the baby off to Alec. Thankfully, Alec caught the child, the corners of his mouth unwillingly turning up at the horrified look on George's face.

"I am so sorry," George said, his voice obviously full of anxiety. It was apparent to Alec that George had never held a baby before and had been a bit anxious over having to do it. Alec shoved his thoughts away once more as a little voice told him that there were a million other things George could have been nervous about. He waved George off in a casual way, showing him that everything was okay.

With that, he turned back to Catarina and the Dean. "I am going to need to take this child with me to an empty room until I can find something to do with-" he paused for a second, not knowing what gender the child was, so he went ahead and checked. "Him," he continued, smiling down at the boy in his arms. "But no Shadowhunter other than myself will be in charge of this boy," Alec finished, looking to the Dean for direction.

Alec couldn't help but smiling a bit wider as he caught George's huge grin as he moved to follow the Dean up the stairs. Catarina quickly followed them, a slight smile on her face as well.

* * *

Alec sighed as he was asked for the hundredth time that day, "What are you going to do with him?" Isabelle looked over at him with an innocent sort of curiosity and excitement. Alec could easily tell that she wanted him to keep the child, but every time he looked down at the boy, thoughts of Magnus immediately consumed him. He supposed that this was what Magnus would want; the fact that Magnus had told him to be a father no matter what was practically all he could think about.

"Honestly, Izzy," Alec sighed again, wishing not for the first time that day that he had someone to make the decision for him. "I've been thinking about keeping him." Alec tried to finish his sentence as fast as possible, slightly unsure of what Isabelle's exact reaction would be. To his surprise, she remained quiet, the only indication of her happiness was the fact that her smile widened greatly.

They paused the conversation long enough for Alec to go prepare some formula for the baby. As soon as he was back on the couch feeding the child, Isabelle launched another question at him. "What's his name?" At that moment, it was clear to Alec that Isabelle definitely assumed that he was keeping the child. Alec hated to admit that the boy had already grown on him essentially to the point of no return.

Alec let a few moments pass in silence, knowing that Isabelle was growing impatient but unable to really speak for a bit. Finally, he was able to get the words out, knowing that there was no going back once he said them "Max," he said, his voice much stronger than he had thought it would be. "Max Lightwood-Bane."

For a moment, Isabelle simply stared at him, somehow covering up all of her thoughts and emotions just enough so that Alec couldn't clearly read them. Finally, she reached over to take Max. "I think that's perfect," she said, her voice soft and gentle.

Alec couldn't help but laugh at the direction his thoughts had just taken. "What are Mom and Dad going to think about this one?" he asked, his voice void of the anger he had once felt. He didn't really care what his parents thought anymore. He was going to keep Max, and no one could say anything to change his mind. Max was now his son, and that was all that mattered.

* * *

The next day, Alec had resolved to leave the Academy with his son, but the people in charge had had other things to say about that. Apparently they had to do paperwork and a bunch of other pointless things because Max was "their responsibility." Alec had scoffed at the thought that they would have ever taken responsibility for any warlock child ever.

He was walking around the grounds with Max in his arms and his mom by his side when he stopped in his tracks, suddenly arrested by laughter. The sight before him was one of those sights that was so pathetic it was humorous, and he couldn't keep his amusement at bay.

Alec had stopped because he saw George a few yards away, trying, and miserably failing, to shoot a bow and arrow. It looked as though he had not once hit the target since he had begun his practice, and it didn't seem to Alec like he would be hitting it any time soon. Even at a distance, George's frustration was obvious, which only worked to amuse Alec further.

To Alec's surprise, his mother stepped forward and moved to take Max from him. "Why don't I go put Max down for a nap and you can," she paused, searching for words that she obviously didn't want to have to search for. Alec reminded himself that she was trying. "Go help that poor boy," she finished, the ghost of a smile appearing on her face as well.

Alec cautiously moved toward George, not entirely sure of what to do or say. He settled on quite possibly the worst thing he could have said and immediately realized that he hadn't ever really gotten over much of his awkwardness when it came to relationships. "I think you may need glasses," he said, instantly wishing he had said anything other than that.

When George first whirled around, it seemed as though he was going to argue. But when he realized who it was, his face immediately lit up. "I may need glasses when it comes to archery, but I don't need glasses to see how exhausted you are," George quipped back, automatically comfortable with Alec. "Long night, huh?"

Alec couldn't help but smile; his night had been very long, indeed. He hadn't realized that Max would cry just as much as he did or that it would feel like eternity before he was able to fall asleep after putting Max back in his crib. He just chuckled in acknowledgement of what George had just said, then he motioned toward the bow in George's hand. "Seems like you could use as much help with that as I could use help with Max."

The way George smiled and laughed surprised Alec. He already despised the way George's smile made him feel. He didn't want to feel that way about anyone other than Magnus, but he couldn't seem to help himself in being drawn to George. "I guess that is quite possibly very true," George admitted, looking down at the bow in utter defeat. Walking over to George, Alec held out his hand for the bow.

They spent a good deal of time practicing, George improving ever so slightly under Alec's instruction. Alec allowed George to accompany him back up to the room he was staying in. Since it was a weekend and George didn't have any classes, Alec invited him to dinner, knowing the Academy's food was less than stellar. When George asked what that implied, however, Alec became speechless, quite unsure of why he'd invited George in the first place.

"Look," George began, looking more serious than he had been since Alec had met him the day before. "I understand that Magnus's death is still constantly on your mind. I understand that you more than likely still have feelings for him," he was trying to keep his voice gentle. "I understand that you named your new son with him in mind. But I can't ignore the fact that we've connected. I can't ignore the fact that I simply want to be around you. "

Alec was having trouble swallowing. He still hadn't given up the hope that Magnus would come back to him, and he felt like he wasn't going to anytime soon. "Alec, I want to try this out if you do. But if you don't, tell me now, and I won't put up a fight. But I'm willing to try; I'm willing to understand. You just tell me what you want." George looked as though he was going to explode from nerves, something that inexplicably made Alec smile.

* * *

Magnus stopped what he was doing, absolutely heartbroken, utterly angry. He knew there was no reason for him to be angry; he had told Alec to find love again. But as soon as he and George had agreed to try to be together, it was like something inside of him had snapped. How could Alec give up on them so easily?

With that, Magnus grabbed a sheet of paper from his oddly stocked house and began to make a list of things he needed to obtain or do. His list included demons he needed to summon. Without powers, that was going to be very hard and dangerous, but his father had never said that he couldn't have people, or things, come to him.

Looking up at Alec holding Max, Magnus resolved that he wasn't going to stop until he had gotten himself out. But when he saw the way Alec was looking at George, he began collecting the things he needed to summon the first demon on his list, knowing he had to hurry. It was now a race against time.


	4. Chapter 4 Explanation

So, I have a confession to make. The last chapter of this story is not the real chapter. I wrote it without my notes for this story, and now I've realized that I messed something up and I cannot use that chapter and still make the story end up in the place that I had intended for it to end up.

That being said, I am taking Chapter 4 down, and I will be rewriting it the way I had planned for it to be written. Sorry for the weird inconvenience; I just really want to take the story in a different direction. The real Chapter 4 may be up tonight, or sometime before the end of the week!

Sorry!


	5. Chapter 4

**Alright, so sorry about the mess up of mine with the last chapter..guess I should look at my notes more often! Let me know your thoughts on this take on the story!**

* * *

Three years somehow went by without much incidence, and Alec steadily grew closer to George. He spent most of his time at the Institute, working his way through the hardships of raising a magical child. Some weekends, he went to visit George; some weekends, George was allowed to come to New York. Max seemed to adore "Uncle George," as Alec and George had agreed on the name for him. Alec had decided to make Magnus Max's other parent, and George had surprised Alec by being nothing other than supportive of that. Alec had promised himself that he would explain things to Max when he was old enough, but until then, Uncle George was a much simpler way of showing his son the way he felt for both Magnus and George.

Alec had to admit that he greatly enjoyed being with George; he had to admit that he was slowly falling in love with George. The other thing he had to admit, however, was the fact that this love was quite unlike the love he had for Magnus. His love for Magnus had been like fireworks, it had been so loud that it could never be ignored. His developing love for George was quiet and soft; there were no fireworks, it was just a comfortable sort of feeling, like he was remembering George from a long time ago.

He was currently on his way to the Academy; Alec had just been to Alicante for a Clave meeting, so he had decided to surprise George with an unplanned visit. Not to mention the fact that Max had been constantly bothering him with wanting to see George. Alec figured that he would kill two birds with one stone and take care of the fact that he wanted to see George just as badly as Max wanted to.

As soon as Max saw George, he sprinted toward him, arms outstretched, his face absolutely lighting up. "Uncle George!" he exclaimed, all but throwing himself into George's arms. Alec couldn't help but melt at the fact that George's face lit up as well. At times like this, it was easy for him to see that George cared for Max more than Alec had ever thought he would.

"What are you two doing here?" George asked, peeking around Max's head. Alec could hear that George wasn't exactly as happy as he wanted them to think, but he decided that it was best to wait until Max wasn't there to bring that up, knowing that if George was upset, they would need to have the time to talk about it.

"Well, Max here wouldn't shut up about wanting to see you, so you know," Alec let his voice trail off, the smile on his face evident in his voice. Max turned around shot Alec a glaring look, but he could see that there wasn't an ounce of true annoyance in him.

"Daddy wouldn't either," Max said, causing George's smile to widen. Alec couldn't help but stick his tongue out at Max. He often wondered at the fact that fatherhood had made him so much more relaxed, but he guessed that was just part of the job description.

Alec let Max visit with George for as long he could possibly hold back his curiosity about why George was down about something. Eventually, Alec took Max to be watched by Jace, who was at the Academy as a guest speaker. "What's wrong, George?" Alec asked as soon as he got back to George.

At this question, George immediately looked down at his feet, but Alec remained silent, hoping that George would respond if he waited long enough. "It's just stress, Alec. Don't worry about it." Instead of protesting, Alec didn't respond at all, hoping to coax George into continuing again. "It's just so close to my Ascension. What if it doesn't exactly go as planned?"

For a few moments, Alec was speechless. He hadn't really thought about the fact that Ascending was actually very risky. Before Alec could come up with anything to say, George spoke up once more. "Just forget about it, Alec. It's a stupid thought." George started to get up from his seat, but Alec reached out to take hold of his hand and keep him from getting up.

"It's not stupid, George. It's a legitimate fear." Alec gave George's hand a squeeze, trying to keep his own emotions out of his voice. "I just don't think that you have anything to worry about. I've never met anyone more worthy of being a Shadowhunter than you." George's smile lit up Alec's heart the way Max's smile always did, and he couldn't help but think about that particular fact.

"Thank you, Alec," was all that George said, but Alec didn't need him to say anything else to hear exactly what he meant. Alec tried to force a smile as well as possible, trying to keep his own thoughts and fears from making their way to the front of his mind. "We're gonna be okay, aren't we?" George asked, and Alec tried to convince himself that the answer to that question was yes.

* * *

The first time Magnus ever truly broke down was when he watched what his father was doing to George. He wasn't actually hurting George, of course, that would have been too easy. He was just making it seem as though George was being killed by drinking out of the Mortal Cup, just as he made it seem like Magnus was dead. Magnus had no idea what Asmodeus was actually doing to George, all he knew was that he would never be able to tear himself away from the mirror as long as Alec and Max were in so much pain.

When Max began screaming for George, that was when Magnus realized he could no longer take what he was watching. Magnus had no idea what he was doing, he only knew that he could easily feel himself breaking. By the time Jace had gotten Max and Alec out of the room, Magnus realized that several things in the room were broken, and he couldn't figure out how that had happened.

The only thing Magnus knew for sure was that he had to make it back to Alec, no matter what he had to do to get there. More than that, however, he knew that everything he planned to do would be no problem to him at all, murdering his father least of all.

* * *

The numbness that washed over Alec was somehow deeper than the numbness he had felt when he had lost Magnus. That didn't make sense to Alec at all, but he had to guess that too many things were broken now, that too many things inside of him had snapped, and that he was beyond saving any longer.

The only thing that even remotely kept Alec afloat was Max. The thought that Max needed him, the thought that he now had a responsibility as a parent was what kept him anywhere close to sane. The worst part of losing George wasn't the pain that Alec himself was in, that was something he knew he could take. The worst part was not being able to stop Max's tears, the worst part was knowing that his son had seen death at an age that no child should ever have to and that there was absolutely nothing he could do to heal the new hole left in his son's heart.

Just as Alec thought he was getting ready to finally fall asleep, he heard Max's soft voice at the door. Pain flooded through Alec once more when he heard the tears in Max's voice. "Daddy? Can I come in?" he asked, clearly concerned for Alec more than he should have been.

"Come in, Max. What's wrong?" Alec didn't have the heart to try to skirt around what he wanted to say. He didn't have the heart to try to sugar coat it, he just wanted to know what was wrong so that he could attempt to take care of it as best he could.

"I had a really bad dream, Daddy," Max said, climbing into bed beside of Alec and immediately curling up next to him. Alec wrapped his arms around Max, trying to will the pain away Max's pain. Instead of trying to ask Max what had happened, Alec just stayed silent, hoping that Max would either explain when he wanted to or that he would fall asleep. "Papa was in my dream," Max finished, voicing the name Alec had given Magnus to avoid confusion.

Alec forced himself to hide his surprise. Sure, Max had seen pictures of Magnus before, but he'd never dreamt of Magnus, and Alec couldn't even begin to figure out why. "He was in some place called Edom," Max continued, causing chills to run down Alec's spine. "He was really sad, Daddy. He yelled a lot, and he was hurt."

At that, Alec knew that that was all he could take. He had no idea what made Max dream of this, but the thing that hurt the most was the thought that Max thought of Magnus as hurting over the fact that they were hurting. The only thing that Alec could hope for was that Max would fall asleep and forget about his dream so that would be one less thing Alec needed to worry about in the coming days.


	6. Chapter 5

**I'm really sorry that I'm having such a terrible time with updating literally any of my stories lately! Things have been kinda busy and a little rough, so just bear with me as much as possible.**

* * *

Magnus had been entirely confused when his father made it seem as though George was killed by the Mortal Cup, but he was even more confused by the fact that he himself was the one who ended up saving George's life. Whatever his father had actually done to George had left him hanging on to life, and suddenly, Magnus understood why the house he was in was oddly stocked with everything he might ever need. Even without the use of his magic, he was still able to use the supplies he had to save George.

The odd thing about this was that he worked on autopilot from the moment George showed up in the house. Against all logic, Magnus didn't stop to think about anything he was doing, he simply worked. As soon as George woke up, however, he echoed the one question that had been on Magnus's mind. "Why did you save me?" he asked, and when Magnus simply stared at him, he continued. "You're Magnus, aren't you? Well then why'd you save me?"

Magnus didn't need any clarification to know what George meant. Alec loved them both, and most people would have thought twice about saving George, about saving the other man Alec loved, about saving the competition. "You think that I would have been inclined to let you die because Alec loves you, but that's exactly why I saved you. Alexander loves you, and your death would truly hut him." At that Magnus motioned to the mirror. "Losing you has hurt him; anyone could see that. And whatever hurts him hurts me. Not to mention Max."

At that, Magnus turned and left the room, unable to continue with George, yet unsure why that was. He couldn't stand around and think about who much pain Alec and Max were any longer. That thought alone was enough to drive Magnus insane, and he didn't want George to be able to watch his every expression while he tried to reason things out. Before long, however, he ended up back in a chair beside of George, the call of the mirror that showed Alec too much for him to resist.

To his surprise, George sat in silence, both of them content with watching Alec and staying inside their own thoughts. Just as Magnus was about to voice some of his thoughts, his father appeared before them, his usual eerie grin plastered across his face. For several moments, Asmodeus simply stared at the mirror. "He's quite dramatic, isn't he?" Asmodeus said, his voice dripping with amusement. "You'd think he'd be over it by now."

From that moment on, Magnus had no idea what he was doing, he only knew that he was screaming at his father. He finally allowed himself to let everything go, everything he'd been bottling up rushed at his father all at once, and he knew there was no hope of stopping once he had started.

* * *

Max was terribly confused. He'd been dreaming about his Papa for days now, and the more he dreamed, the more real it all seemed to him. Every time he tried to talk to his Daddy about it, however, he would tell Max that it was just all in his dreams. Now, Max knew he wasn't asleep, and yet, he could clearly hear his Papa's voice. Or at least the voice that he had been hearing in his dreams. It wasn't like he really knew what his Papa sounded like, but Max couldn't get the voice out of his head, no matter how hard he tried.

Finally, Max decided he was going to find where the voice was coming from, so he got up off his bed and wandered around his room for a bit. Eventually, Max determined that his Papa's voice was coming from the bathroom that was right beside of his room, and when he stepped up on the stool that he used when he needed to wash his hands, he was taken aback by what he saw. "Papa?"

* * *

Very suddenly, Magnus stopped screaming at his father and whirled around. "Max?" he asked, knowing that he was absolutely insane. He stepped toward the mirror, as he had been slightly out of the frame of it, and he was surprised to see Max staring back at him. When he tried to ask his father, he turned to see that Asmodeus had already left the room.

"How can you see me, Max?" he asked, knowing that the surprise and suspicion was all too noticeable in his voice. "Where are you exactly?" Magnus didn't need to turn around to know that George was likely looking at both of them as though they were insane. Magnus fleetingly thought of the possibility that his father was simply fooling him once more, but he pushed that aside, the hope already gripping his mind.

"How come I can see you in the bathroom mirror?" Max asked, his face scrunched in confusion. "Am I dreaming, Papa?" he looked back at Magnus as though even he understood that this entire situation was absolutely ridiculous. Magnus's concern was not that Max might be dreaming, his concern was that he might be going insane, but he simply shook his head.

"I don't know what's going on, Max, but I promise you that I'm going to figure it out." There was so much more that Magnus wanted to say, but he knew that this wasn't exactly the time for it. He knew that anything he needed to say should be said to Alec, that Max wouldn't understand all that he was feeling, so he stopped speaking and tried to think of what to do next.

The thing that kept Magnus from saying anything else was the fact that Max was looking at him with expectant eyes. It was the fear of disappointing Max that kept all of the words Magnus wanted to say unsaid. Just as it seemed as though Max was going to speak up once more, Alec entered the room, his face just as confused as Max's, but it quickly became obvious that he was confused for an entirely different reason.

"Max, who are you talking to?" he asked, looking back and forth between Max and the mirror. Magnus became even more confused when he realized that Alec couldn't see him at all. His only guess was that it had something to do with the fact that Max was magically inclined and Alec was not. As soon as Max began trying to explain what was going on, Alec shut him down. "Stop making up stories, Max. I am not in the mood for this tonight."

Magnus had no idea what to say or do; he knew nothing would convince Alec that what Max was seeing was real, but Max clearly didn't see that. "You're not listening to me, Daddy. I'm not making things up." Max was practically crying. He looked back at Magnus, obviously wanting him to do something to fix the situation.

When Magnus looked back at Alec, he wasn't surprised to see tears in Alec's eyes as well. "I'm calling Jace," Alec said, turning around and leaving Max where he was. "I cannot do this with you, Max." It was when Alec left that Max finally allowed himself to cry, and Magnus forced his own tears to keep from falling.

"Will you stay with me, Papa?" Max asked, his voice barely audible, his tears drowning everything out. "You won't leave me, will you?" Magnus took a few moments to pull himself together, nodding his head the entire time.

"I will not leave your side, Max," Magnus said, forcing his voice to be as even as possible. "You just have to give your dad some time. He'll come around eventually, I promise." Magnus didn't feel as though his heart was truly in what he had just said. It was as though he was trying to convince himself that Alec could be convinced that what was happening was real. They sat in silence until Jace arrived, and then Max's tears began again.

What surprised Magnus the most was that Jace actually listened when Max began screaming that he didn't want to leave. When Max was done explaining that he was seeing Magnus in the mirror, Jace calmly looked up for a second before surprising Magnus yet again. "Max, can you ask your Papa to tell me something only the two of us would know?" Magnus knew it was Jace's way of making sure that Max was actually seeing Magnus in the mirror, but Max didn't seem to pick up on that.

The only problem was that Magnus had no idea what Jace wanted to hear from him. Everything he could think of, he knew that Alec knew it as well. Finally, he came up with one thing he knew Jace would understand. "Uncle Jace, Papa said to tell you that before your first date with Daddy, you came to him and asked him what his intentions were. I don't know what 'intentions' means, but that's what he said."

When Jace put Max to bed, Magnus was shocked to see that he came back to the mirror once again. Leaning on Max's stool, Jace stared into the mirror for several long seconds. "I don't know what's going on Magnus, but I promise you that I will take care of Alec and Max until you can figure things out. You just have to promise me you won't give up on them."

"Looks like you've got a lot to work on. Your family needs you," George said before Magnus could so much as turn around. Magnus couldn't find it in himself to respond, so he simply left the room, knowing that George was right but unable to give in and admit it. He was also at a loss to admit that if George could get back, Max and Alec might at least begin to heal. The only thing that he could promise himself, promise Max and Jace, was that he was going to get one of them back to that perfect family, no matter what it took out of him.

* * *

 **As always, let me know your thoughts!**


	7. Chapter 6

Magnus was entirely sure that he'd never been so angry in his life. He and George had been going back and forth for hours. Magnus had a plan in place, but George had different ideas of what he thought should happen. They'd left the tiny house, knowing that Max would listen to them if they stayed inside. There was no way Magnus would low him to hear what they were saying, that wasn't something a child needed to hear.

For weeks, Max had been talking to them every chance he got. For weeks, Magnus had been studiously planning every chance he got. He knew what he had to do, it was just that assembling everything he needed was the problem. Assembling everything he needed without his father knowing what he was doing was the biggest problem of them all. He'd avoided telling George his plan for as long as possible, knowing that his reaction would be instant anger.

He was sticking with the plan he'd been working on in the beginning, which involved summoning the demons he needed in order to help him build a door back into their dimension. The entire situation was risky purely on principle. It would be terribly easy to open the door to the wrong dimension, and if that happened, Magnus was sure he wouldn't likely be able to find what he needed to build another door.

The only thing that allowed him to build a door in the first place was that his father was there. He only had one chance, it would either work, or it wouldn't. Then that would be that. Magnus knew that if it didn't work, both he and George would die within seconds. There would be no second chances. The problem was that Magnus needed almost an infinite amount of energy to build the door. If he'd been on Earth and had his magic at his disposal, he would have been in danger of draining his energy to the point of death. It would have been a very tight squeeze. But the fact that he didn't have magic made everything much more dangerous.

"You absolutely cannot do this, Magnus," George said, pulling Magnus out of his thoughts just by the anger in his voice. "You're telling me that the only way for you to get enough energy for this door is for you to kill your father? That's suicide, and you know it." Magnus leaned back against the house, shutting his eyes for several long moments. Of course he'd known that; that's why he'd kept it from George for so long. What George didn't know was how right he was. Killing his father in Edom meant setting off an explosion of sorts. Within a certain distance, anything and everything would die with his father.

"I do know it, George," Magnus answered, hearing how tired he was just by his voice. "I've known that from the beginning. You're not giving me any new and exciting news." Magnus watched as George went through several emotions, obviously trying to work through things on his own time. The last thing he wanted to do was kill his father in order to open the door. Not that he didn't want to kill his father, but he knew that whoever did kill his father would die. And whoever didn't do the deed would only have a small window of opportunity to go through the door. One of them would have to make the sacrifice in order for the other to make it back. And Magnus intended for it to be him.

"You're not doing it," George said, his voice so frim and final that it surprised Magnus at first. George's eyes were so hard and cold that Magnus almost became worried. "Even if you kill your father and yourself and open the door, I won't go through it." Magnus was so shocked that he didn't have the strength to respond to George in any way. "I will not go back to Alec and admit to him that I let you die for me. I won't do it."

It was so much easier for Magnus to think about the pain that Alec was in when he knew he wouldn't have to be around to watch it. It was apparently much easier for George as well. "I've been thinking about this for years, George," Magnus said, his voice slow and careful. "The only reason I haven't tried it before now is that I couldn't figure out how to kill my father and get myself out of there fast enough for me to survive. Now I don't have to."

George was shaking his head, making gestures that said he didn't know how to respond. "There has to be another way," he said, much in the way of someone who had finally realized there was, in fact, no other way. Magnus hated the tone of defeat in George's voice, but he knew it couldn't be helped at all.

"There isn't, George. Not without my magic." Magnus tried to stay gentle, but he knew it was hopeless. "We've got two options. Either you go and I kill my father. Or neither of us go back." Magnus paused for several seconds, trying to keep from thinking of the pain that was now constantly in Alec's eyes. "I don't know what that would do to him, George."

George considered this for several moments, something working behind his eyes that Magnus wasn't sure he cared for. "There is another option, Magnus," he said, his voice as careful as his eyes. "You go back." George flashed a weak smile when he realized that Magnus didn't understand what he was saying. "You go back, and I stay and kill your father."

* * *

Jace was tired of standing in Max's bathroom while he talked to Magnus, so he decided to go out and buy a hand mirror, hoping that the same thing would happen just on principle alone. Max was terribly excited when he found that he could see his Papa through that mirror as well. "Now I can keep him in my pocket!" Max had exclaimed, his eyes wide with joy.

The only problem with that was that Jace hadn't known Alec was watching them. Jace's heart sank when he heard Alec clear his throat behind them. Jace turned to say something to Alec, but before he could figure out exactly what he should say, Alec began speaking, his voice flat and distant. "May I have a word with you, Jonathan?" he asked. Jace's heart sank even further. Alec's voice may have sounded neutral, but he never called his parabatai 'Jonathan' unless he was truly angry.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Alec asked as soon as they were out of earshot of Max. It was so very easy for Jace to see the pure rage that was radiating from Alec. "What do you think fueling his insane stories is going to do? All you're doing is getting his hopes up, Jace. In case you hadn't noticed, he's been through hell. He just wants to believe that he might get a chance at having two parents. Well, guess what, Jace. He isn't going to get that chance. Ever."

Alec's voice was so final that it tore at Jace's heart. He wanted to explain to Alec what had happened; he wanted to make Alec understand that Max had told him something only Magnus would know, that it had to be Magnus on the other side of that mirror, that there was no other explanation for it. But Jace couldn't seem to find it in himself to do any of that. Through their parabatai bond, Jace could feel Alec's pain. Generally, parabatai didn't feel every little emotion of their partner. They usually only felt any physical pain. But when the emotion was immense enough, it was possible to feel that as well. And what he was feeling now told Jace that his parabatai was in much more pain than he wanted others to know.

Instead of saying anything remotely like what he wanted, Jace said, "Let me keep Max for you tonight. You need a break, Alec. You look so tired." Alec warily looked back it his parabatai for several seconds before stepping forward and moving to embrace Jace. "Thank you," was all Jace heard him say, but it was enough for Jace to know that he'd made the right move.

* * *

Magnus had argued with George for days. How was it that George thought Magnus wasn't allowed to sacrifice himself but he was? What broke Magnus down in the end was the fact that George finally opened up to him completely. "Your father didn't completely lie when he took me here," George began, his voice oddly soft. "I didn't become a Shadowhunter, Magnus. You know that as well as I do. He just took the opportunity to heal me enough to bring me here." George looked away, suddenly unable to level his eyes with Magnus's. "I can't go back. I wasn't worth of being a Shadowhunter. I'm not worthy of Alec."

So in the end, the pain and sorrow in George's voice was what convinced Magnus that his fight was in vain. It was now entirely too obvious that George would never go back, no matter the circumstance. No matter how much Magnus tried to convince him how flawed his logic was, nothing would change George's mind. If he couldn't be a Shadowhunter, he thought he wasn't worthy of life.

So here he was, miles away from the house, waiting on the flash of light that would show him George had killed his father, the flash of light that would show him that George was dead as well. He'd avoided the mirror that entire day, knowing that he didn't have the right words for Max, knowing that giving Max too much hope was a very bad thing. This could go so wrong so easily that telling Max he would be back was a very dangers thing to do. George would succeed or he wouldn't. If he did, Magnus would either open the door to the correct dimension or he wouldn't. He would either be back with Alec in a matter of minutes. Or he wouldn't.

Magnus felt his heartrate increase when the flash of light began. He waited several seconds before turning to work on the door, giving George several moments of silence. He wanted to do so much more, but he knew that George was beyond his help now. By the time the light reached him, Magnus was ready to use it to open the door. He took a deep breath before stepping through, closing his eyes and thinking of Alec one last time. Either Alec was on the other side or he wasn't. Magnus took the final step into the unknown, far too ready to find out exactly who was on the other side.

* * *

 **As always, feel free to leave your thoughts/comments/concerns! I'd love to hear them! There will most likely only be one more chapter in this story! I hope you're enjoying it so far!**


	8. Chapter 7

Magnus's vision was blurry, so the first thing he saw when he woke up was just a little blue blob above him. He found himself smiling as his vision cleared, but he didn't need his vision to know who was above him. Just as he was able to slowly push himself up, Max ran out of the room, yelling for Alec the entire way. By the time Max came back with his father in tow, Magnus had situated himself so that he was leaning against the wall, ignoring the pain in his sides. He had known that building the door and going through it would drain his energy, so the pain was entirely expected.

He tried to keep from wincing as Alec all but threw himself into Magnus's arms. The worst part of the entire ordeal was having to explain what happened to Alec. Telling Alec about the door and everything that had happened to him personally was easy. Telling Alec about George was another thing entirely. He opted on telling Alec exactly how he got back first. Then he knew he couldn't hide it any longer. "I had some help in getting back, Alexander," he said, pointedly looking down at Max who was sitting on his lap.

After Alec has succeeded in removing Max from the room, Magnus closed his eyes for several moments, knowing that he couldn't stall any more. "George helped me, Alec," he said, deciding that being straightforward would be the easiest option. He reached out for Alec's hand when Alec sat down on the bed beside of him, his face immediately falling. "I never wanted this to happen, you have to know that. I tried every other option, but in the end, George wouldn't allow anything else."

Magnus watched Alec's emotions as he explained everything that George had done, trying his hardest to leave out the fact that George thought he wasn't worthy of Alec because he wasn't worthy of being a Shadowhunter either. When Magnus was done with his explanation, Alec sat in silence for several long moments, seemingly trying to process everything that was happening.

When Alec finally spoke, he didn't respond at all to what Magnus had just explained, and Magnus knew that it would take Alec a very long time to fully process everything that had happened. "Max refused to leave your side until you woke up, Magnus." His voice was terribly soft and distant. "He'd never met you in his life and yet he loved you more than I think he understood." Alec paused, then spoke as though something had suddenly hit him.

"He was right. About everything. And I refused to listen to him." Magnus squeezed Alec's hand, but as he was about to speak up, Alec stopped him. "No don't tell me that it was irrational. Jace believed him. I didn't listen to either of them." When Alec paused once more, he switched his train of thought once again, obviously too distraught to stay on one topic for long. "We can't tell him about George, Magnus. You said George never spoke to him through the mirror. We cannot tell him George was there. It would destroy him."

The only thing Magnus could do was nod and watch as Alec left the room to retrieve Max once more. Max latched onto Magnus as soon as he was back in the room, and Magnus couldn't help but smile. "You kept your promise, Papa," he said, looking up at Magnus with wide, happy eyes. Magnus couldn't resist reaching to ruffle Max's hair, something he'd wanted to do for years.

At that, Alec got up from the bed, but not before Magnus could see the tears forming in his eyes. When he got out of the room, Max looked up at Magnus once more. "What's wrong? Is Daddy okay?" Magnus tried to comfort Max as much as possible, tried to pretend as though everything was absolutely fine, as though him being back fixed everything. But the biggest problem was that it simply didn't.

* * *

Magnus found Alec in the training room of the Institute. That wasn't much of a surprise to him, seeing as Alec was like Jace in the fact that in high stress situations, the only thing that could relieve that stress was physical activity. What did surprise Magnus was the fact that Alec wasn't training, he was only the floor, his head between his legs. For several seconds, Magnus considered leaving, knowing that Alec was emotional, but the way that Alec's shoulders slumped told him that he needed to stay.

He walked over to sit beside of Alec, close to him, but not touching him. "No matter what I say," Alec began, not moving to life his head up. "Don't leave me right now." Magnus could hear the desperation in Alec's voice. He smiled softly when Alec moved to take hold of his hand, still slouching in the same manner as before.

Magnus didn't know how long they sat like that, he didn't even try to keep track. All he knew was that Alec was in terrible pain, and there wasn't much he could do. When Alec finally lifted his head, Magnus reached over to wipe the tears away, not stopping at all to think about what he was doing. "Don't get me wrong, Magnus," Alec said, his voice dense with tears. "I'm overwhelmed with joy to have you back. It just doesn't look like it right now," he finished, gesturing to himself and his tear-stroked face.

"I understand, Alexander," Magnus replied, his voice barely a whisper as he reached to pull Alec into his arms, wishing he could take the pain away and make it his own. "You don't have to apologize for being upset over losing someone you love." Alec looked up at him in surprise, obviously having expected him to react in the opposite way.

Magnus leaned over to kiss Alec's forehead, something he knew Alec adored. Somehow, that caused Alec to smile, even if it was slightly. "I love you," he said, as if that explained everything and then some. "I've always loved you. Even when you were gone." Magnus smiled again, wishing there was more he could say, but knowing it would never be enough. "I always felt guilty, Magnus," Alec continued, his voice beginning to catch. "Even when I relaxed enough to let myself love George, the thought of my love for you was always there. It made me sick sometimes, Magnus. How do we go back to normal?"

The last question had been so sudden that Magnus hardly knew how to respond. Alec's eyes were beginning to water once more, and the last thing Magnus wanted was for Alec to begin crying again. "Alexander, you never had anything to feel guilty for." Magnus paused, trying to think of the best way to express his feelings. "I don't know how we go back from this, but the only thing I know to do is start at the beginning. I've been gone, so we need to catch up. You've got a kid, so we need to work on that relationship, too. My love for you hasn't changed, Alexander, only the circumstances have."

Alec looked back at him and flashed a grin once more. "We're going to be okay, aren't we?" he asked, his voice stronger than it had been before. Magnus started to nod, but before he could, Alec's lips were on his, and Magnus found himself smiling into Alec's kiss. He'd dreamt of being with Alec again for years, but the reality of it was much better than anything he had ever imagined.

"We're going to be just fine," Magnus replied when they'd finally broken apart. Magnus wanted nothing more than to pick up where they'd left off, but he knew there was something else he needed to do. He got up from the floor and reached down for Alec's hand. "I think our first order of business should be to go have a movie night with our little Blueberry," he said, earning another kiss from Alec.

* * *

 **Let me know your thoughts! I loved writing this, and I know some of you struggled through parts of it, so if you're reading this now, thank you so much for sticking through it with me! If you have any questions/comments/concerns or anything else, comments and messages make my day so come talk to me! I'd love to hear from you!**


	9. Explanation Number 2

I got a comment about how it's unclear how George killed Asmodeus, so I wanted to add this here in case anyone else had the same thoughts about it. Let me know if you have any comments/questions about it!

So my thought process behind how George is able to kill Asmodeus is not anything that George himself can actually do. I wanted the specifics of the plan to be a mystery because I feel like it would have taken away from the story and added some unnecessary length to it. But basically George could do whatever Magnus thought he could do.  
Since Magnus didn't have his magic in Edom, there was obviously something he could have done that wouldn't require his own magic at the very least. So killing his father and opening the door were two things he knew he could do without magic. It's brought up in one of the books that you don't have to have any powers to summon demons, so maybe Magnus is relying on the fact that he knows exactly how to summon demons and he also knows exactly how to bribe them into doing what he needs them to do. Maybe he makes them think he still has his powers and that he'll kill them if they don't do what he asks. Maybe he hides the fact that his father has captured him here and tells them that his father will torture them for eternity if they don't do what he asks.  
Whatever Magnus does, it obviously works, but I refuse to believe that if there was a way for Magnus to kill his father, he wouldn't have the skills and abilities to do it. So basically, all George has to do is exactly what Magnus tells him to do. That's why Magnus is so nervous because he doesn't know if George will do everything just the way he's told him to. But if Magnus would have been able to do it, and it seems like he would have, then George would be able to as well. Magnus said that the only reason he hadn't tried it already is that he didn't have a way to get away from the explosion without his magic. Meaning the only part he needed magic for was the escape, not the actual act of killing his father.  
In other words, there was no magic involved. I don't really want to come up with exactly how it was done because I think that would take away from the story, but it was obviously something that Magnus could summon demons for and it was something that anyone could do given the right opportunity. Maybe George tricked Asmodeus in a way that Magnus taught him. Maybe George was able to make the demons they'd summoned help him with a very powerful spell. Magnus said it would have drained his energy. Maybe George turned something Asmodeus did back on him instead. I'd really like what George really did do to remain a mystery.


End file.
